Pipe-line system for breweries and bottling establishments.



G. L. BAS'TIAN.

PIPE LINE SYSTEM FOR BREWEBIES AND BOTTLING'ESTABLISHMENTS.

APPLIOATVION IILBD DEO.1, 1905.

934,879, r Patented Sept.'21,1909.

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ANDREW. a. GRAHAM 00.. vuwmummmwins. wAsumm'cn o c 0-. 'L. BASTIAN. PIPELINE SYSTEM FOR BREWEBIES AHD BOTTLIN G BSTABLISHMENTS.

A'ITPLIOATION FILED 1130.1, 1905.

Patented se nzl 1909'."

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0. L. BASTIAN. PIPE LINE SYSTEM FOR BREWERIES AND BOTTLINGESTABLISHMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.1, 1905.

Patented Sept. 21, 1909.

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UNITED fiTA'IES PATENT OFFIQE.

CHARLES L. BASTIAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIG'NOR 'IO BOTTLEBISMAOI-IINERY CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF

PIPE-LINE SYSTEM FOR BREWERIES AND BOTILING ESTABLISHMENTS.

Specification of Letters Eatent.

Patentet Sept. 21, 1%99.

Application filed December 1, 1905. Serial No. 289,888.

To alt whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. BAS'IIAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Pipe-Line Systems for Brewcriesand Bottling Establishments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to pipe line systems for breweries and bottlingestablishe ments and its object is to deliver the liquid to the head ofa filling machine or a racking machine at all times according to certainpredetermined conditions of pressure and thereby avoid undue agitationof the liquid which tends to release the contained and en riching gasesand to produce foaming which is highly objectioi able.

\Vith this object in view my invention contemplates the automaticregulation of pressure in the supply vat to compensate for the loss ofpressure consequent upon the lowering of the level of the liquidtherein.

In the accompanying drawings of my in vention Figure l is a diagrammaticview showing the invention embodied in a con1- plete pipe line system. Iig. 2 is a sectional view illustrating the invention. Fig. 3 is asectional view of the regulating valve. Fig. lis a view, partly insection, illustrating another embodiment of the invention.

In the ordinary filling system the beer is stored in bonded vats A onthe floor below the filling machineB and the racking machine G and it isforced into the heads Z), c of these machines by air pressure which issomewhat in excess of the pressure required to raise the liquid to saidheads. A main liquid inlet pipe D is provided with a valved branch cltapping each vat near its bottom and a main liquid outlet pipe E issimilarly provided with a valved branch 6 tapped to the bottom of eachvat and valved branches 6 connected to the heads of the filling andracking machines. A main air inlet pipe F has a valved branch fconnected to the top of each vat.

The system thus far described is one commonly employed and it has beencustomary to increase the pressure in the vat once or twice during thefilling operation for the purpose of providing sufficient pressure todeliver the liquid from the vat to the head of the filling or rackingmachine. This system is open to all of the objections of a non-automaticsystem and furthermore it fails to provide a constant compensation forthe loss of pressure in the vat due to the lowering of the level of theliquid in the vat and the result has been that the liquid is deliveredto the head under varying conditions which tend to produce foaming andotherwise seriously interfere with the filling operation. Forillustration, assuming that the filling machine is located about twelvefeet above the supply vat and the latter has a capacity of 100 barrelsand contains initially 80 barrels of beer. If an excess pressure of twopounds is provided in the head of the filling machine, an initial airpressure of about ten pounds will be required in the vat. It will bereadily understood that the pressure in the vat will decrease as theliquid drawn oil and delivered to the head and the interruption to theevenness of flow thereby produced will be increased rather than avoidedby the periodical increase of pressure. In fact it is the commonoccurrence that when the air pressure in the tank is thus periodicallyincreased the beer will be so greatly agitated for a while as to causefoaming and much trouble in the filling operation. This unevenness offlow will be wholly overcome by automatically increasing the airpressure in the vat to constantly compensate for the loss of pressuredue to the withdrawal of the liquid. I have accomplished this automaticregulation of the pressure in the vat by providing a regulating valveG-in the branch air pipe to each vat, this valve being operated andcontrolled by the pressure of the liquid. In Fig. 1 the regulating valveis located in the branch liquid outlet pipe between the vat and theshut-off valve 1; in Fig. 2 the regulating valve is located in thebranch outlet pipe on the deliverv side of the shut-off valve; in Fig. 4the regulating valve is mounted directly on the vat close to the bottomthereof.

The regulating valve is illustrated in Fig. 3 and comprises a valve 72.carried by a stem l2, and normally held by a spring J away from its seatj in-the casing j. A diaphragm K is clamped between the skeleton frame7.; and the base 70 and said base is shaped to provide a chamber Lbeneath the diaphragm and it has a nipple Z which is screw-threaded intothe branch liquid out let pipe 6, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or into thevat, as shown in Fig. 4. The tenthe valve under the influence of thespring. I make no claim in this application to the construction of thisvalve as the same forms the subject matter of an application No. 289,893filed December 1, 1905.

In the embodiments of the inventions illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 thespring will hold the valve it normally unseated while the valve I isshut off and there is no pressure in the outlet pipe 6. At this time thepressure in the vat will be of that degree pre viously determined asnecessary to produce a proper flow of the liquid into the head of thefilling machine when the valve I is first opened. WVhen this valve I isopened the liquid will flow into the pipe 0 and to the head and alsothrough the nipple Z into the chamber L, and the pressure of the liquidwill be sufficient to overcome the tension of the spring and seat thevalve h to shut off the air supply. As the level of the liquid in thevat lowers and the pressure in the vat correspondingly decreases thespring will open the valve h to admit more air pressure into the Vat tocompensate for the loss of pressure due to the drawing off of liquidfrom the vat. This operation is entirely automatic in action and isrepeated as conditions require to constantly maintain in the vat asuflicient pressure to deliver the liquid to the head of the fillingmachine under the predetermined conditions.

In the embodiments of the invention illustrated in Fig. 4 the valveoperates in the same automatic manner heretofore described except thatthe pressure Within the vat will hold the valve h normally seated.

Any other suitable regulating valve may be employed and it may belocated in any position where it will operate to automatically controlthe air supply to constantly maintain the required pressure in the vat.

I do not claim in this application the system herein disclosed for thesame is included in my divisional application No. 337,678 filed October6, 1906.

hat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a pipe line system for breweries and bottling establishments, thecombination of a beer supply vat, a pipe connected to the vat at thebottom thereof and delivering beer to the head of a filling or rackingmachine, a pipe discharging into the vat at the top thereof forsupplying air pressure upon the beer in the vat, and means controlled bythe pressure of the beer outside the vat for automatically increasingthe air pressure in the vat without disturbing the beer to compensatefor the loss of pressure as the level of the beer is lowered during thefilling operation and thereby provide for constantly delivering the beerto the head at a predetermined pressure and without loss of gas.

2. In a pipe line system for breweries and bottling establishments, thecombination of a beer supply vat, a pipe connected to the vat. at thebottom thereof and delivering beer to i the head of a filling or rackingmachine, a pipe discharging into the vat at the top thereof forsupplying air pressure upon the beer in the vat, and means connected tosaid air pipe and controlled by the pressure of the beer to increase theair pressure in the vat relatively to the lowering of the level of thebeer in the vat without disturbing the beer, whereby to effect thedelivery of all the beer in the vat to the head at the samepredetermined pressure.

3. In a pipe line system for breweries and bottling establishments, thecombination of a beer supply vat, a pipe connected to the vat at thebottom thereof and delivering beer to the head of a filling or rackingmachine, a pipe discharging into the vat at the top thereof forsupplying air pressure upon the beer in the vat, and a regulating valveconnected to said air and beer pipes and operated by the pressure of thebeer to maintain a constant pressure on the beer in the vat withoutagitating the beer and thereby deliver the beer to the head at apredetermined pressure during the filling operation.

. 4. In a pipe line system for breweries and bottling establishments,the combination of a beer supply vat, a pipe connected to the vat at thebottom thereof and delivering beer to the head of a filling or rackingmachine, a pipe discharging into the vat at the top thereof forsupplying air pressure upon the beer in the vat without disturbing thebeer, and a regulating valve connected to said air and beer pipes andcomprising a valve seat in the air pipe, a valve, a diaphragm, a springoperating on one side of the diaphragm to hold said valve open, and apressure chamber on the other side of the diaphragm in communicationwith the beer pipe, whereby said diaphragm is actuated by the spring toopen said valve and by the pressure of the beer to close said valve.

CHARLES L. BASTIAN.

Witnesses:

WM. 0. BELT, M. A. KIDDIL.

